Elizabeth held onto the glass of bourbon tightly, her grip unrelenting as they found themselves stood back in 808 Broadway. Elizabeth's fingers were shaking slightly, her palms sweating and her skin tingling, hairs standing on edge. She was still looking down onto the book that Charlotte had left them, her locket hanging around her neck. It made her feel closer to her daughter. It gave her hope.

Laszlo was also peering down at the writing and his brows pinched together. "If Charlotte is locked away, as she claims, then how did the book get to the park?" he questioned. "She must be bringing her to the crime scenes," he answered his own question, knowing that he was simply thinking out loud as he did sometimes.

"But why?" John wondered, holding his cup of tea as Sara watched Elizabeth drain the alcohol she had poured into a glass for her. She had been unusually quiet, her mind clearly elsewhere and no doubt racing over what had just happened. She was stood next to Laszlo, peering onto the book that was sat on Sara's desk. Laszlo had left his cane by the door, his bad hand constantly moving into a fist and then his fingers straightening out again.

"I don't know why," Sara said.

"She blames her," Laszlo whispered and all eyes turned to him again. "Charlotte must have found out about what she has done…she has turned against her and that's why she's started killing again."

"And she took her there to show her…to blame her…" Marcus said and Elizabeth felt her chest ache, blood pumping into her ears as she wondered just what her daughter was going through.

"We need to be quick," Laszlo said. "If she strikes again then I think it will be soon. She is angry. She is hurting."

"If she is down by the docks then we need to find out which families have daughters, in particular, sisters," Sara said. "And we need to canvas the area and see if we can spot anyone who looks like Beatrice who might have seen her. But we need to be discreet. I can send a few of my girls ahead to start knocking on doors."

Laszlo nodded. He suspected that was a good idea. He had to go there too. He needed to be there to find his daughter. But he knew what Sara was going to say to him.

"Laszlo, I think it might be best if you and Elizabeth stay away," she said.

"Absolutely not," Elizabeth was the one to answer, placing her glass down on Sara's desk and meeting her friend's gaze. "I am not staying here while my daughter is out there."

"If she were to spot you then you could spook her," Marcus was the one who interjected at that point as well. He watched Elizabeth as she turned to glare at him. He held his hands up defensively and watched her for a few moments. "I'm only trying to help, Elizabeth, and if Charlotte is by the docks and Beatrice spots you then she won't be there for much longer."

"So you want us to wait here idly?"

"It's not ideal," John agreed, "but Beatrice will know your faces. She's no doubt watched your house and will recognise you both."

"They're right," Laszlo said and Elizabeth turned to look at him as he moved a hand to her back, his fingers sitting in the small of it and running up and down. "I don't like it either, my darling, but if Beatrice sees us then that could put Charlotte at risk. We need to think about her and how we can bring her home as quickly as possible."

Elizabeth chewed on the inside of her cheek, knowing that there was no point in arguing with them. They would only win and she knew that they did have a point. She had to think about Charlotte. She had to do what was best for her and if this was it then she would do it. She didn't want to, but it wasn't a case of what she wanted.

"We have her image from the paper," John said after a few moments of silence.

"We do," Sara said. "And everyone should be arriving to work in a few moments. I will ask Mitsy and Mary to come with us, but we are leaving as soon as they arrive."

"We should return home to Lucy and Emily," Laszlo said to his wife and Sara picked up on the hesitant look on Elizabeth's face. She didn't want to go anywhere but to the docks to find their daughter. But she couldn't do that at that moment in time. She had other things that she had to deal with.

"We will call as soon as we have news," Sara promised, looking to Elizabeth and exchanging an understanding glance with her. That was all she wanted to do. She wanted to go and find her daughter. "We will bring her back, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth could only nod as Laszlo looked down to his wife and picked her hand up, wrapping her arm into his. He bid goodbye to everyone in the room as Elizabeth remained silent, her mind completely elsewhere. They left 808 for the carriage and climbed in, the ride back home completely silent. Pulling up outside of the terraced house, Laszlo sat where he was and tapped his cane nervously on the floor of it.

"I don't think we should tell Lucy or Emily anything just yet," he said to his wife.

"Of course not," Elizabeth agreed with him on that point. She had no intention of saying anything to their daughters. She didn't want them to get their hopes up. "But we should mention something to Diana. She deserves to know where we have been and what might happen."

"Agreed," Laszlo nodded his head. He could understand that point. They stayed where they were for a few moments, Laszlo leaning across to his wife and taking hold of her hands inside of his. "It will be over soon," he whispered, not sure if he was saying it to himself or to his wife. Who did he have to convince more? "Sara, John and Marcus won't let anything happen to her. You know that, my darling."

"I know," Elizabeth promised him, "it's not them who scare me though, Laszlo. It's her and if she finds out that they are looking for her."

Laszlo nodded his head. He understood that. He was terrified of what Beatrice could do. He knew that she was full of rage and grief, both of them mixed together could be quite deadly.

"I know," Laszlo agreed and he kissed the back of her hand. "Come on. We should go inside. Lucy and Emily will be wondering where we are."

Elizabeth nodded and held Laszlo's hand as they wandered back into the house. Emily and Lucy were awake and dressed, Diana sat with them in the parlour. Laszlo asked if he could talk to their maid while Elizabeth went and sat with Lucy, forcing herself to smile and act normal for her daughter's sake. She held Emily in her arms, inhaling her familiar scent as she sniffed the top of her baby's head. Emily was gurgling in her arms, pulling softly at her hair and saying 'mama' before Laszlo came in and it soon changed to 'dada'.

Laszlo and Elizabeth exchanged nervous glances between each other throughout the morning as they stayed with their daughters. Emily remained in Elizabeth's arms while Lucy insisted Laszlo listen to her play the piano. He sat with her on the bench, watching her little fingers dance over the keys as Elizabeth swayed Emily to the tune in her arms. Laszlo would often move to kiss Lucy on the top of her head when she finished a particularly piece, the motion appearing encouraging but it was Laszlo simply needing his daughter to know that she was everything to him. They were both everything to him. He loved them so much and he needed to protect them from the horrors of the world. He felt as though he had failed Charlotte.

"I need to go and change Emily," Elizabeth said to her husband as he sat with Lucy at the dining table, reading with her.

"Alright," he said and Elizabeth moved up the steps and towards the nursery. Before she could get halfway up the steps, the phone began to ring.

"I've got it!" Diana called out.

She had been in the kitchen and preparing dinner, wondering if anyone would eat it. Their appetites had been waning over recent weeks. She dried her hands on a towel as she moved to the phone from the kitchen before anyone could argue with her.

"Thank you, Diana," Elizabeth said and continued climbing the stairs.

"Kreizler residence," she said into the phone. "No, this is not Mrs Kreizler…yes…hold on."

Elizabeth had been at the top of the stairs, her arms wrapped tightly around Emily before she heard her own name. Looking down the stairs, she saw Diana hold the phone against her shoulder. She looked to Elizabeth and shrugged, mouthing that she didn't know who it was.

"I can take her," she said to Elizabeth as she met her halfway down the steps. She passed Emily over to her and she took hold of her daughter. Elizabeth went to the phone, wondering who could be calling her at this time in the morning. She wasn't expecting anyone and if it had been Sara then she would have told Diana and Diana would have known her voice.

"Elizabeth Kreizler," Elizabeth said down the phone.

"Mrs Kreizler," the woman drawled in a low voice in response to her. Elizabeth's brows furrowed together and she held the phone tighter to her ear as she spoke down it.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"You do," she responded and Elizabeth knew something was wrong. "We haven't met yet, but I think that could change soon enough. Now, I have a proposal for you."

"Beatrice," Elizabeth whispered her name.

There was a dark chuckle on the other end of the phone and Elizabeth turned her head around to see Laszlo appearing in the doorway at the sound of the woman's name. He looked to his wife as Diana came back down the stairs, also concerned. Laszlo whispered in a hushed voice, asking her to take Lucy upstairs. She nodded and scurried off as Laszlo stood next to his wife, trying to listen into the call. There had been a reason why Beatrice had called Elizabeth. He needed to know what it was.

"Not as dumb as you look, are you?" Beatrice responded to her. "You know, everything was going so well. My daughter was finally back with me and we had a plan to leave this place."

"Because you fed her with lies," Elizabeth retorted, feeling Laszlo's hand move to her back, his front pressed to her side as his ear stayed near the other side of the phone. "We know that you lied to her…the things you told her…they were nothing but poison."

"She believed me though," Beatrice responded. "She believed everything I said when I told her that you and that husband of yours stole her from me just like my sister did."

"What happened to you was horrible," Elizabeth said.

"You have no idea what happened to me."

"We talked to Rose," Elizabeth said and there was silence, Laszlo wondering if his wife had said the wrong thing. They didn't need to scare her away. "She told us what happened and how Charlotte was taken away from you…how you were put in jail."

"My mother saw to that," Beatrice retorted with a scoff. "But I had my revenge on her."

Laszlo closed his eyes and nodded. Her mother had died under suspicious circumstances, but clearly they were no longer suspicious.

"I don't care about what you've done," Elizabeth said and Laszlo's hand remained firm on her back. "All I care about is Charlotte. Please, Beatrice, bring her home. We can work something out. She's just a girl."

"Home? You think that massive townhouse of yours can ever be her home?" Beatrice asked her once more. "She's not yours. She's mine and she is staying with me. She will love me when she understands that I am her mother and not you…not Alison…me."

"Shouldn't that be her choice to make?"

"Like you said, she's just a girl. She can't make her own choices."

"This is wrong," Elizabeth said firmly. "You know that it is wrong."

"I know that Charlotte needs me and she will see that. She's scared…she's scared of what I've done, but I've told her that I can stop. I can stop if she just loves me, but she refused. She refused to love me and that's why that girl had to die. She had to die and Charlotte had to see that it was her fault. She drove me to it."

"You can't blame her for that," Elizabeth said, wondering what torment Charlotte was feeling. "She didn't make you do anything."

"But she did," Beatrice said with a whine and Laszlo's hairs stood on edge at the sound of her voice. She sounded so dangerous and scary, a woman who would risk everything. "She sees now. She sees what she's done wrong and she's told me that she forgives me."

Elizabeth shook her head, but she was silent. She wasn't going to say what she thought. Charlotte had to be playing her. She would be telling her what she wanted to hear.

"So what now?" Elizabeth asked.

"We're leaving," Beatrice says. "But we're not to be followed and I know you have your little minions crawling around the dock looking for us."

"I don't know what you mean," Elizabeth said, feigning innocence.

"There's the dumb whore," Beatrice responded. "You can act stupid, Mrs Kreizler, but I know it is only an act. No doubt it helped you find yourself a husband in high society. I remember how men always did go for the docile female."

Elizabeth bit down on her tongue, tasting the metallic of blood in her mouth from the force. She lowered her head for a moment and Laszlo's arm moved tighter around her waist to hold her to him.

"What do you want?" Elizabeth demanded.

"I have another girl," she said. "Her name is Rebecca Dowes and she's quite a pretty little thing. Her safety depends on your actions and what happens afterwards."

"What do you want?" Elizabeth asked.

"I need money," Beatrice said. "I need enough money to leave the country."

"And why would I give you that?"

"Because Rebecca's life depends on it," Beatrice said. "I have her locked away somewhere you won't find her. I didn't bring her back to the house in the docks…and you won't find me there now anyway. I had to leave quickly when I spotted someone asking my neighbour if they knew my face. Now, you see, only I know where she is and only I can save her. The room she's in…she would run out of oxygen if I locked her in there…kept her in that wooden crate that's completely sealed up."

Elizabeth shook her head, unable to comprehend what she was hearing.

"And her family would miss her terribly, I don't doubt that," Beatrice said. "But that's where she will stay if I don't get what I want. You're going to bring me the money to the train station and if I get wind of anyone coming to meet us…the police…your little friends…then she dies. She dies and I never tell you where she is."

"And Charlotte?"

"She comes with me."

"No," Elizabeth said with a firm shake of her head.

"You don't have the upper hand here, Mrs Kreizler," Beatrice retorted. "We're taking the train to Washington D.C. It's the last one and it leaves at midnight. Be at the station with ten thousand dollars-"

"-Ten thousand?" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Don't pretend that your husband doesn't have that much money," Beatrice snapped. "I know who he is and what he has built up. That nice house you live in can't be cheap, nor can those expensive gowns you wear."

Laszlo only nodded. He had the money. He rarely spoke about it, only telling Elizabeth that money would never be an issue for them which gave her comfort and made her feel fortunate when so many people had little else in their lives.

"Fine," Elizabeth relented.

"And don't even think about trying to fob me off," Beatrice said. "So, I will see you tonight, yes?"

"Do we have a choice?"

"Not if you want to save poor little Rebecca's life," Beatrice replied and she hung up.

Shaking, Elizabeth placed the phone back down and looked to Laszlo. She shook her head as she watched him and she could see that he was thinking.

"She can't take her," Elizabeth said. "We need to think of something. We need to do something to stop her."

Laszlo agreed with that, a hand going to stroke his chin slowly as Elizabeth moved a hand to hold onto his, clinging tightly onto him. He pushed his hand through his hair as she tugged at the fingers of his bad hand, her grip tight and unrelenting as he searched her gaze and nodded firmly.

"I have a plan," he promised her. "But we need to be quick."

…

Elizabeth didn't like any of this. She didn't like the plan at all. It was quiet outside of the train station, not many people intending on catching the final train to D.C. that night apparently. Sitting in the carriage, Elizabeth looked at Laszlo as he held the bag in his hands that was filled with notes. He had been forced to go to the bank and take out the required amount of money. He had done it with no care in the world. He would do anything for his daughter.

"It doesn't feel right," Elizabeth said to Laszlo.

"I know, but everything will go as it should," he assured her in a gentle whisper, holding her hand and looking at his pocket watch for the time.

It was almost time. He nodded to Elizabeth and opened the door to the carriage. He held onto her hand as she took the bag of money. Walking into the station together, Elizabeth was doing her best not to let fear take hold of her, but that was becoming difficult. They moved through the entrance, not bothering with a ticket as they had no intention of boarding. Wandering along the side of the train on platform one, Laszlo peered into it. Sara was in there. She was on the train for D.C. and she would find Charlotte as soon as she was on the train.

The train at platform two was almost ready to leave, heading for Florida and down the coast. Steam came from above and the engine would no doubt hum to life soon enough. People boarded both trains, splitting up and climbing on as Laszlo held onto Elizabeth's hand and their eyes darted around. Moving to the end of the platform, Elizabeth finally saw her.

Charlotte. She almost pulled away from Laszlo, but her husband kept hold of her hand. They couldn't do anything brash.

She looked tired and upset. Charlotte's eyes were puffy and her hair was tied into a neat bun at the nape of her neck. She looked slimmer than before, the green dress she wore was ill-fitting, gaping at the top and the skirts too long for her. She had a black coat over her frame and her blonde hair looked dry and straw like tied into the bun.

"Charlotte," Elizabeth gasped her name, trying not to cry at the sight of her. "It's going to be alright, darling, I promise."

"You're in no position to be making promises, Mrs Kreizler."

Elizabeth had been so intent on watching her daughter that she had hardly looked at the woman who spoke. Her gaze moved up to her and she looked at her, seeing that she had the same blonde hair as Charlotte, her eyes narrowed into slits and her nose wrinkling. She was almost gaunt looking, tall and also dressed in a fine gown that had seen better days, the blue material wrinkled and a tear in her red coat. She had a suitcase next to her on the floor that was also battered.

"Now, pass me the money and we'll be on our way," Beatrice said.

"Just give her back," Elizabeth said, her voice breaking. "Please…just let her go…can't you see how scared she is?"

"She's not scared," Beatrice snapped, voice angry and then she looked down to Charlotte. "Are you, sweetheart?"

Charlotte shook her head, but her eyes betrayed her as her posture stiffened when her mother placed her hand on her shoulder.

"We have the money," Laszlo said calmly and he caught Charlotte's eye. She furrowed her brow and he wanted to do nothing more than tell her that they had a plan, that him and Elizabeth had a plan to get her away from that woman.

"And I have the address you need," Beatrice said. "But, you see, things aren't going to play out the way you want them to."

Elizabeth's brows furrowed at hearing her. The platform was now completely empty, both trains having been boarded and preparing to leave in minutes.

"Rebecca is currently trapped and only I have the address," Beatrice said and she kept a hand on Charlotte's shoulder. "And I knew that as soon as I gave you the address there would be nothing to stop you from taking Charlotte and that's why I left the address with someone who will give it to you when I tell them…but you will only receive it if you walk out of here as soon as the train has left…if not, then the man who I have paid to pass you the letter will rip it up."

"And what is to stop us from taking Charlotte now?" Elizabeth asked, but Laszlo watched Beatrice and he knew that she was a smart woman. She was a woman not to be trifled with. He shook his head slowly. There was something wrong. She was playing them.

"Because she doesn't want to go with you," Beatrice said. "Besides, if she leaves with you then the man who I have paid rips the letter up as well. He does what I want on my command."

"You can't do this," Elizabeth said, her voice breaking.

"Yes, I can," Beatrice said. "Now, place the money down and Charlotte will pick it up."

"Can I at least hold her?" Elizabeth asked. "Please..."

"You can have one minute."

Elizabeth rushed forwards, dropping the bag and embracing Charlotte who met her halfway. Wrapping their daughter into their arms, their grip was tight as Charlotte clung onto them, refusing to let go. She began to cry, her tears falling down her cheeks slowly as Laszlo whispered into her ear.

"We're going to get you away from her," he promised his daughter. "Sara is on the train waiting for you."

"You can't," Charlotte muttered against his shoulder as she kept her cheek pressed there, Elizabeth's face inches from her as her hand ran along her cheek softly. "She told me if I tried to escape then she'd kill again…she'd kill more girls…and Rebecca…Jacqueline…I've seen what she does to them…I can't…I can't let her."

"We'll stop her," Elizabeth promised her daughter. "We're going to stop her, I promise you."

"That's enough," Beatrice said with a loud snap. "Step away from her."

"No," Elizabeth said, crying softly. But Sara was on the train. She would stop her. She would stop anything from happening. Yet, Elizabeth didn't want to let go. "Charlotte…darling…"

"I love you," Charlotte said, looking to Elizabeth. "I love you both so much."

"We love you too," Laszlo said to her.

"Come on," Beatrice demanded, grabbing hold of Charlotte by the arm and pulling her out of their hold. Laszlo stepped forwards, but Beatrice raised her gun straight at him, aiming it at his chest. He froze on the spot as Beatrice grabbed the bag and thrust it into Charlotte's arms. She picked up the suitcase and opened the door to he carriage they were travelling in right at the end of the train.

But it wasn't the train to Washington.

"You…that's not the right train," Elizabeth stammered and Beatrice chuckled, pushing Charlotte onto it.

"You think that I'd get the D.C. train after telling you?" she questioned. "I knew you could just have someone waiting at the other end. I knew the train heading down to Florida left at the same time…with the next stop being only an hour away. You can try to alert the authorities there, but if you do then Rebecca dies. You only get her location when I'm somewhere safe and away from you."

"No," Elizabeth snapped. "Just give her back. Give us our daughter back!"

She stormed forwards and Beatrice moved quickly, grabbing her arm and placing the gun against her side discreetly. The barrel of it pressed against Elizabeth's ribs and she winced in pain at the feeling of it.

"She's not your daughter," Beatrice said in a low growl, her eyes wild as she watched Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth, please, don't," Charlotte begged from the doorway to the train. "I'll be fine, I promise. Just let Rebecca go…let her go free and none of this has to happen again. No one has to die because of me."

"You can't do this to her," Elizabeth said. "You're using her. It's wrong."

"It's what has to happen," Beatrice said, "so that me and my daughter can live a happy life together."

"We won't stop," Elizabeth warned her.

"Beatrice, I know that you think that what you're doing is the right thing," Laszlo said as the train began to get ready to leave, steam now billowing from it and the engine coming to life, the loud noise echoing around the station. "But this won't bring back your past. It won't right the wrongs that have happened. You want Charlotte to love you, but this isn't the way to do it. This won't make her love you."

Laszlo knew that he had to try something, but it didn't work. He barely heard the noise over the sound of the train engine. But he felt it. Elizabeth wondered what had happened before she looked at Beatrice in front of her. She had hardly registered that she had pulled the gun from her side, aiming it straight at Laszlo instead. Her finger had pulled the trigger down, the gunshot drowned out by the noise of the train.

Looking to her husband, Elizabeth's eyes widened as Laszlo looked to her, dropping his cane to the floor as his other hand went to his stomach. It all happened so slowly. Pulling his fingers away, he saw the blood that had pooled there and Elizabeth shook her head as he fell to the floor. Running towards him, Elizabeth couldn't catch him before he fell to his knee. She collapsed in front of him, arms going around him and holding him to her.

"Laszlo!" Charlotte's yells rang out and she tried to climb from the carriage, but her mother was pushing her back onto the train, shutting the door as the train departed seconds later, Charlotte still fighting against her as Elizabeth looked to the moving carriage, her daughter's horrified face passing her by as her husband remained in her arms, clinging to her as blood pooled from his abdomen.

"Laszlo…stay with me…" Elizabeth said to her husband, worry taking hold of her as she looked at the blood as Laszlo gulped, nodding his head and knowing that he only had some time left before he lost too much blood. They had to act quickly if he was going to make it and his life was in Elizabeth's hands.

…

A/N: Would love to know what you think or if there is anything you would like to see happen!